Fitchburg child rape suspect free

By Paula J. Owen Telegram & Gazette Staff

Tuesday

Mar 1, 2011 at 8:44 PMMar 1, 2011 at 8:48 PM

A Fitchburg man who allegedly raped a 9-year-old boy in his bedroom was released on $5,000 cash bail after his pretrial hearing today in Fitchburg District Court and ordered to have no contact with children under the age of 16.

Heber D. Gonzalez, 49, 63 Myrtle Ave, was arrested Jan. 7 on charges of rape of a child with force and an unnatural act with a child.

The boy said the alleged rape happened in Mr. Gonzalez's bedroom in June 2008, but his mother didn't report it to police until Oct. 24, 2010, because she is unable to speak English and her sons could not speak Spanish, according to police reports.

With her boyfriend translating, the boy's mother told police that her son told her in October he was sexually assaulted by a man in his 50s when the family lived at his grandmother's house on Westminster Street. The mother said the family only knew that he was a Uruguayan man who went by the name of “Eber.”

On Nov. 13 at the state Department of Children and Families office in Leominster, during a Sexual Abuse Investigation Network interview, the boy's mother said she knew Mr. Gonzalez's name and address.

On Nov. 27, officials did a similar interview with the boy's brother.

The brother said the boy described being raped by Mr. Gonzalez. He said the assault happened in “Eber's” bedroom and Mr. Gonzalez struck his brother on the back after the alleged rape, according to police reports. He said he was the first person his brother told about the assault.

“I told my mother when it happened, but she didn't understand because we lost our Spanish,” he said.

He also said Mr. Gonzalez drank a lot.

The alleged victim, now 11, told police the same story about the assault.After his arrest, Mr. Gonzalez told police he was renting a room on Westminster Street at the time of the alleged assault.

He is listed as a laborer at Miller's Asphalt Paving on Summer Street, Lunenburg.His pretrial hearing was continued to March 29.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.